Southwest Biological Science Center
Data and Tools
Undiscovered Continuous Oil, Colorado Plateau
This dataset is based on U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resource assessments for “undiscovered” oil resources, which are resources that have not yet been extensively proven by drilling (USGS 2014). Individual resource assessments describe the amount of petroleum resources in units with similar geologic features. We focused on the amount of undiscovered continuous oil beca
Food Web Data, Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2006
These data were compiled for a manuscript that examines the riverine food-web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon dam to its confluence with Lake Mead. Tissue from primary producers (vascular plants and algae) and consumers (aquatic invertebrates and fish) were collected before and after monsoon floods in 2006 along the 388 kilometer segment of the Colorado River in the Sout
County Proportion of Cultivated Agriculture 2012 Colorado Plateau
County cultivated agriculture area from county census data (NASS, 2012). NASS [National Agricultural Statistics Service]. 2014. Quick Stats 2.0. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C., USA.
Mine density 2014, Colorado Plateau
Mine density at 10 km2 scale calculated with records from the Mineral Resources Data System (USGS 2011). Records are from pre-Hispanic conquest through 2014. USGS [U.S. Geological Survey]. 2011. Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data: Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/. Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia,...
Southern Pacific Pond Turtle Data, Elizabeth Lake, Los Angeles County, California, 2014
These data were compiled to study the effects of severe drought and a concurrent large wildfire on a large population of southern Pacific pond turtles living in a rapidly drying lake. The study was done in collaboration with biologists from Ecorp Consulting in Santa Ana, California with funding from the Desert Tortoise Council. Data were collected in August and September of 2014. This...
Meteorological Data for Selected Sites along the Colorado River Corridor, Arizona, 2014-2015
These data are records collected from six automated weather stations in operation between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015 within the Colorado River Corridor of Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Data collection locations, equipment configurations and methods follow those of the original report (OFR 2014-1247). These files are 4-minute interval dat
Potential Land-use Intensity, Aridification Trends, Overlap, and Impact Scenarios, Geospatial Data, Colorado Plateau, USA
These geospatial data characterize the potential for geographic overlap among land-use practices and between land-use and climate change on the Colorado Plateau—a dryland region experiencing rapid changes in land-use and facing aridification. They were used to characterize spatial patterns and temporal trends in aridification, land-use, and recreation at the county and 10-km2 grid sca
Dataset for plant production responses to climate across water-limited regions
This dataset was constructed from readily available open source climate and vegetation data, like Landsat. This dataset represents the vegetation and climate conditions for a large number of points across the major deserts of the SW USA. The dataset was constructed in order to use the climate pivot point approach (Munson et al. 2013) at the landscape level. Originally this dataset was much
Landscape-scale wildlife species richness metrics
These raster data represent the results of a case study in Arizona on how vertebrate richness metrics can be used with existing state and federal guidance in wind and solar energy facility siting. Each of the four geodatabases (see Cross References) contain eight native terrestrial wildlife group models in Arizona: 1) all vertebrates, 2) amphibians, 3) reptiles, 4) birds, 5%
Low Intensity Land-use Overlap Colorado Plateau
This dataset represents the spatial overlap in areas with present (cropland, grazing, and recreation), potential (petroleum resources), or future (population) low-intensity land-use. The final areas designated as low-intensity land-use represent low intensity relative to the range of values for that variable in this region, either present or future, and do not represent th
Simulated Soil Water Potential in National Parks and Monuments of the Southern Colorado Plateau, 1915-2099—Data
These data were simulated using the SOILWAT model and were intended to characterize soil-water conditions at different ecological sites on the Southern Colorado Plateau. SOILWAT is a daily, site-specific, multi soil-layer, ecosystem water-balance model, driven by daily meteorology, as well as site soil texture and vegetation. The sites simulated correspond with Inventory and Monitoring (I&...
Watershed potential erosion rate ranking system and check-dam placement suitability data within the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC)
Using Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) soil databases, topographic features derived from digital elevation models, stream networks, and regional climatic patterns, I developed a ranking system for watershed potential erosion rates and suitability for check-dam placement across the SRLCC. This ranking system serves as a first step for land managers to prioritize areas for c